Socceroos vs Cameroon/ Curaçao March 2026 🇦🇺🇨🇲🇨🇼

[grazorblade]

Keep trying to educate posters on this.

Players pass forwards depending on the movement of their teammates further forwards off the ball in opening viable passing lanes.

Or sometimes teammates pass backwards to a player, in a quick decision, closely marked in a cul de sac.

Often a back pass, with a 1 or 2 touch sequence under close marking, is harder to execute, than playing forwards when the player on the ball receives in plenty of time and space and passes to a teammate further advanced in plenty of space.

Dutch TDs Rob Baan, Han Berger, plus KNVB staff coaches, Ad Derkson and Arie Schans, tried to educate Aussie coaches and players in this, nearly 20 years ago. It still took a while for some AL coaches to comprehend it.

No player at Socceroo level passes backwards if there is a viable passing lane opened further up the pitch.

I think this goes too far. There seems to be a notable difference in forward options being able to open a passing lane (hrustic being bad at least in previous games) but there is also a clear skill difference between different cm options in their abilitiy to advance the ball. Passing lanes can open for a fraction of a second, or requires breaking a line with and eye of the needle pass and if you didnt glance before recieving and have quick handling speed and high accuracy u miss it. Metcalf seemed better at finding more difficult forward passing options than oniell and okon better again. I suspect scicluna might be even better again.

In okons case, even if no passing lane opens he can shield the ball until one does. Some midfielders these days are also good at recieving the ball on the half turn and carrying the ball forward. So i think it is fair to differentiate mids by their ability to progress the ball

 

[Decentric]

To an extent but I just think some players have back passing and laziness ingrained. Behich and Miller are comparatively poor to who we've got there now. In the past we had plenty of forward options only to keep playing it back. Neither Arnold nor Popovic clamped down on it.

Someone else correctly identified on here that we've had too much of a U shaped formation in possession. No one running into the ball, slow build up and against a deep block it's like a handball game.

The U means players are positioned diagonally to each other, JS.

The diagonal pass means players can simultaneously scan the field of play and receive with their body position facing forwards, in an ideal body shape to play or move forwards. This is whilst a player is closely marked.

The straight ball up the pitch is only viable, if a player is unmarked when receiving the ball. Ange P, in general, hates straight balls.

 

[Decentric]

I think this goes too far. There seems to be a notable difference in forward options being able to open a passing lane (hrustic being bad at least in previous games) but there is also a clear skill difference between different cm options in their abilitiy to advance the ball. Passing lanes can open for a fraction of a second, or requires breaking a line with and eye of the needle pass and if you didnt glance before recieving and have quick handling speed and high accuracy u miss it. Metcalf seemed better at finding more difficult forward passing options than oniell and okon better again. I suspect scicluna might be even better again.

In okons case, even if no passing lane opens he can shield the ball until one does. Some midfielders these days are also good at recieving the ball on the half turn and carrying the ball forward. So i think it is fair to differentiate mids by their ability to progress the ball

Of course some players have scanned the field of play, before they receive the ball, better than others.

Some players are capable of making decisions more quickly than others. I have been impressed with Herrington's fast decision-making and subsequent execution under pressure, thus far, at the 27 min mark against Cameroon.

I thought when Hrustic used to play DM for the Roos, he made decisions far too slowly, particularly defensive ones. Conversely, Aaron Mooy, thought very quickly as a DM.

The player in Aus who is just about the quickest to receive ( body shape facing backwards) and turn (body position facing forwards) in one fluid motion, is City winger Younis ATM.

Arzani is quick to do this too, but he is more one foot and one side of the body dominant, so he is far better on his right side than left. Younis is more two sides of the body proficient.

 

[HonestSpursFan]

I'd like to think my geography is pretty good. I have no idea where Curacao is?

Only 155 000 is tiny.

It’s a Caribbean island that is technically a constituent part of the Netherlands. It was a former part of the Netherlands Antilles. About 155,000 people live there. Willemstad is the capital city. While Dutch and English are both understood by the vast majority of residents, the main language is a Portuguese-based creole called Papiamento (spelt Papiamento in Aruba and Papiamentu in Bonaire and Curaçao). The flag of Curaçao looks like this: .

 

[Decentric]

It’s a Caribbean island that is technically a constituent part of the Netherlands. It was a former part of the Netherlands Antilles. About 155,000 people live there. Willemstad is the capital city. While Dutch and English are both understood by the vast majority of residents, the main language is a Portuguese-based creole called Papiamento (spelt Papiamento in Aruba and Papiamentu in Bonaire and Curaçao). The flag of Curaçao looks like this: .

Ta.

What an achievement to make the WC for them!

I wonder if they have recruited from the Eredivisie and Eerste, like Indonesia have, with some dual nationals?

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Every touch of herrington.

Stand behind every comment Ive made... no pressure the whole match, lets see how he goes with a high pressing attack before buying him a ticket to a WC.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Ta, G.

I’m up to the 23 min mark compiling passes. So I’m seeing all of it.

Can’t convince Mono about his handling speed, but he is slick with his first touch and has superb composure on the ball under pressure.

If he never plays again for the Socceroos, Herrington has put in one of the great games for a Socceroo CB.

Have Roar gone backwards in defence since Her left?

Could you kindly point out where you see that "pressure" we must be watching two different games.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

He was technically and tactically the best Socceroo on the park v Cameroon

Dont knopw about "best" but crtainly reliable... I am a huge fan of Circati these past two matches.... of all the Roos he seems the first magnet on the board for me.

 

[Decentric]

Stand behind every comment Ive made... no pressure the whole match, lets see how he goes with a high pressing attack before buying him a ticket to a WC.

Within the Cameroon Press, which was intermittently a Full Press and sometimes a Half Press, their Squeezing intensity was quite full on at times.

As I keep reviewing the game, I'll keep this in mind, Mono.

There has been one recent action, where Herrington received on his chest, dropped it straight down to a foot and passed - all in a very quick sequence. He was in very little time and space when he did this. Very few other CBs we have at senior level could execute this as well as Herrington did.

I'd contend Trewin could, possibly Jets CB Natta, maybe Circati? Not the other Socceroo CBs aged 26 and over.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

To an extent but I just think some players have back passing and laziness ingrained. Behich and Miller are comparatively poor to who we've got there now. In the past we had plenty of forward options only to keep playing it back. Neither Arnold nor Popovic clamped down on it.

Someone else correctly identified on here that we've had too much of a U shaped formation in possession. No one running into the ball, slow build up and against a deep block it's like a handball game.

Just blown away by the revolutionary football concept Ive just read.. So players pass forward when they have a viable option??? Jesus have been watching the game wrong all these decades....

 

[Decentric]

Could you kindly point out where you see that "pressure" we must be watching two different games.

At the 10 min mark, Cameroon had sat back in Squeezing intensity, trying to mantain team compact shape as the priority.

After 10 minutes they increased it. Consequently, they had a lot more ball. They disturbed Roo build ups more frequently.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

At the 10 min mark, Cameroon had sat back in Squeezing intensity, trying to mantain team compact shape as the priority.

After 10 minutes they increased it. Consequently, they had a lot more ball. They disturbed Roo build ups more frequently.

So.... Herington had time and space to advance the ball and asses the pass no?

 

[Quicky]

The U means players are positioned diagonally to each other, JS.

The diagonal pass means players can simultaneously scan the field of play and receive with their body position facing forwards, in an ideal body shape to play or move forwards. This is whilst a player is closely marked.

The straight ball up the pitch is only viable, if a player is unmarked when receiving the ball. Ange P, in general, hates straight balls.

I hate straight balls. I use it as a metric for when we're playing shit. If you see straight balls to marked players we're in for a disappointing game.

 

[Sutherlandbear]

Just blown away by the revolutionary football concept Ive just read.. So players pass forward when they have a viable option??? Jesus have been watching the game wrong all these decades....

This is the hipster model, where the centre half dominates possession and makes the most passes. And people wonder why football is becoming boring. Sideways, backwards, sideways, backwards, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

This is the hipster model, where the centre half dominates possession and makes the most passes. And people wonder why football is becoming boring. Sideways, backwards, sideways, backwards, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I quite honestly dozed off a couple of times the other night.... boring is right.

 

[Decentric]

So.... Herington had time and space to advance the ball and asses the pass no?

I'm not going to go back and find the exact instance of the Herrington receive on the chest and drop it to a foot and pass in a fluid sequence somewhere between 23 and 29 minutes (I think passing it to McGree), BUT, when I replay the match for the second time to compile 1v1s, etc, I will record the exact minutes and seconds of the game where he did it.

He was closely marked and his handling speed and composure under pressure was very impressive.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I'm not going to go back and find the exact instance of the Herrington receive on the chest and drop it to a foot and pass in a fluid sequence somewhere between 23 and 29 minutes (I think passing it to McGree), BUT, when I replay the match for the second time to compile 1v1s, etc, I will record the exact minutes and seconds of the game where he did it.

He was closely marked and his handling speed and composure under pressure was very impressive.

Yes Decentric I saw it, perhaps have a look at the clip Grazor posted below for every touch of his... look at the acres of space he operates in...

Every touch of herrington.

 

[Decentric]

This is the hipster model, where the centre half dominates possession and makes the most passes. And people wonder why football is becoming boring. Sideways, backwards, sideways, backwards, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

They are probing for an outlet to play forwards.

The English definitely didn't do this a decade ago and before, like the Continentals have. They turned the ball over a lot more frequently too.

 

[Sutherlandbear]

They are probing for an outlet to play forwards.

The English definitely didn't do this a decade ago and before, like the Continentals have.

I am not English.

I also want to watch attacking football, not chess, it bores the tits off me.

Give me blood and thunder any day.

 

[Decentric]

Yes Decentric I saw it, perhaps have a look at the clip Grazor posted below for every touch of his... look at the acres of space he operates in...

Well if you saw it and weren't impressed, I rest my case.